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Show HALLOWEEN CUSTOMS HISTORY By Cindy Robertson Every year, just after the close of harvest, and before the onset of winter, children dress up in witch and ghost costumes to go trick-or-treating. These Halloween activities are echoing the customs of a people that lived before tha timp nf Phristianitv The Celts of old England greeted winter with about the same enthusiasm en-thusiasm we do today. Their bleak view of the oncoming bitter cold and long dark nights led to their choosing this time to honor the Lord of the Dead, and it was the festival held for him that started many of the customs of Halloween. Worshippers of the Lord of the Dead imagined imagin-ed that he gave all the dead souls and wicked spirits the freedom to roam the land on the eve of his festival, and that the demons would play pranks on people unless they received bribes of sweets and pastry. Besides giving the spirits treats, the priests, called Druids, would try to pro-, pro-, tect themselves by wearing wear-ing disguises that looked like witches and goblins, in hopes that the demons would not hurt one of their own. As fear of these imaginary im-aginary demons and ghosts grew, superstitious people in Scotland began to carry hollow, lighted turnips carved with demonic smiles, forerunners of the Jack-o-lantern, to scare away any frightful spirits that might attack them while they were out at night. How though, did these old customs come to be imitated by people today who do not believe in a Lord of the Dead that lets loose hordes of goblins and spirits? So many countries had similar festivals for the spirits during this pre-winter season that the Catholic Church, in the ninth century, cen-tury, established a holy day for the first of November called All Soul's Day, so that pagans who became Catholics could continue their celebrations. Since dead souls and other spirits were still believed to come out on the eve ol this holy, or "hallowed' day (hallow'een), most ol the tricks to appeast them continued to be us ed. Today's costumec trick-or-treaters, walking in the glow of their Jack o-lanterns, are stil reflecting these customs acting out the beliefs o people long ago. |